Twins Early Development Study: A Genetically Sensitive Investigation into Behavioral and Cognitive Development from Infancy to Emerging Adulthood (original) (raw)
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A longitudinal study of twins from birth to adulthood
Norsk Epidemiologi, 2016
Temperamental variation in infancy was the starting point for this longitudinal study of twins followed frombirth to adulthood. The influence of early individuality on later development was a research question in thefollow-ups, and by choosing twins as a group, it was possible to uncover the effect of environmental andgenetic factors at the different ages. Developmental psychopathology turned out to be a relevant framework,where mental health and well-being are seen as the result of a continuous transaction between geneticallybasedindividuality and a changing and varying environment (Maughan & Rutter, 2008). The twin methodwas an adequate tool to gain a better understanding of these processes. The overall clear message from thestudy is that whereas heritability of temperament can be seen from infancy on, environmental factors are ofcrucial importance for an understanding of mental development and health, but the effect of environmentalfactors probably varies a great deal in dependen...
Twin studies : Nature-Nurture and beyond
Chapter 2: Twin studies of this thesis: outline and aims 2.1. A twin study on cognitive ability 2.2. A twin study on stress sensitivity in the flow of daily life Chapter 3: Heritability Estimates of Intelligence in Twins: Effect of Chorion Type Chapter 4: Child Psychopathology and Lower Cognitive Ability: a general population twin study of the causes of association. Chapter 5: Deconstructing the familiality of the emotive component of psychotic experiences in the general population Chapter 6: Electronic monitoring of salivary cortisol sampling compliance in daily life Chapter 7: A momentary assessment study of the relationship between affective and neuroendocrine stress responses in daily life Chapter 8: Genes making one feel blue in the flow of daily life: A momentary assessment study of gene-stress interaction. Chapter 9: Epilogue 9.1. Summary and research findings 9.2. Nature-Nurture 9.3. Nature-Nurture in general cognitive ability 9.4. Nature-Nurture in daily life research 9.5. Implications and directions for future research Summary-Samenvatting Dankwoord Curriculum Vitae List of publications Appendix A Experience Sampling Booklet Appendix B Structural Equation Modeling scripts Chapter 1: Introduction: Nature-Nurture and beyond Back to outline Primary interest Belgium East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey 6500 Epidemiology, placentation, congenital anomalies, perinatal factors Scandinavia Danish Twin Register 65000 Aging and age-related health, metabolic and cardiovascular disease Finnish Twin Cohort ?? 48000 Health, personality and substance abuse Norwegian Twin Register 40000 Mental health, obesity, asthma, allergies, health behaviours and perceptions, perinatal influences on health National Institute of Public Health Twin Panel 7668 Physical and mental health, asthma, allergies, obesity and health-related behaviours Swedish Twin Register 57405 Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, depression, substance use/abuse, cognition, personality, aging and common complex diseases Swedish Young Male Twins Study 1783 Risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, obesity and behavioural risk factor Germany Berlin Twin Register 65000 Complex diseases, health-related QTLs, pharmacogenetics German Obsvervational Study of Adult Twins and the Bielefield Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins 2509 Temperament and personality Italy Italian Twin Register 120000 Aging, dementia, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, diabetes, asthma, allergies, thyroid diseases and behavioural disorders Register of Italian Athletes 4719 Human biology and development, sport and high-level performance Twin Epidemiological Register of Rome 15500 Lifestyle, development and ageing The Netherlands Nederlands Twin Register 30335 Development, behaviour, emotional problems, cognition, depression, addiction and cardiovascular risk factors UK St Thomas' UK Adult Twin Register 10000 Cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, dermatological and ophthalmological diseases Twins' Early development Study 16810 Longitudinal assessment of verbal and non-verbal cognitive development and delay, language development and delay, childhood behaviour problems Northern Region Multiple 1216 Effects of multiple pregnancy, obstetric and paediatric Back to outline Pregnancy Register management and outcomes of pregnancy Australia Australian Twin Register 27582 General resource for medical and scientific research Western Australian Twin Register 4729 Asthma, allergy, ADHD, early speech and behaviour China Chinese National Twin Programme 4576 Aetiologies of common diseases and health-related behaviour Japan Osaka University Aged Twin Register 12000 Aging, dementia, physical diseases, lipids, cognition, lifestyle, life satisfaction and quality of life South-Korea Korean Twin Register 154783 Complex human diseases and traits Sri Lanka National Twin Register of Sri Lanka 20294 Multidisciplinary research and international collaborations USA Mid-Atlantic Twin Register 23000 Behavioural and psychiatric disorders NAS-NRC Twin Register of WWII Military Veteran Twins 15924 Somatic and psychiatric diseases, aging Vietnam Era twin Register 7500 Veterans health, effects of combat, psychiatric disorders and substance abuse California Twin Program 13096 Aetiology of disease and genetic markers Southern California Twin Register 2600 Social and moral development, childhood behaviour problems, cognitive abilities Minnesota Twin Register 5599 Individual differences 1.1.2 Summary Genetic epidemiology is the overlap between genetics and epidemiology and focuses on interactions between environmental and genetic factors in the causation of the disease. Its goal is to detect, prevent and treat diseases and disorders. Genetically sensitive study designs such as family studies, adoption and twin studies are optimal tools investigating genetic and environmental risk factors. Twin studies have the unique opportunity to disentangle genetic influences from environmental influences. Large worldwide twin registers are available, such as the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey, from which twins can be selected for research projects.
Twin Studies of General Mental Ability
Handbook of Behavior Genetics, 2009
Twin studies are a crucial source of information about genetic and environmental influences on general intelligence. A brief summary of key events and controversies in the history of twin studies of intelligence is followed by a review of the contributions of twin studies to the field thus far. We then discuss new twin research designs, analytic methods, findings and their implications. Topics include evidence of genetic and environmental influences on general intelligence from studies of twins and non-twins, twins reared apart and together, virtual twins, the significance of shared environmental factors, the effects of prenatal environments, the impact of parenting practices, epigenetic processes (e.g., DNA methylation), the heritability of relevant endophenotypes, and the search for specific genes underlying intelligence. Links between twin studies and other research areas, both within and outside behavioral genetics, are explored.
Heredity of cognitive functions and personality in twins
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 2013
The inheritance of cognitive functions and personality is still a problem under investigation. A classical method, investigation of twins, is often used to find relative contributions from genetics and the environment to quantitative traits. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible influence of heredity on cognitive functions (by applying the Raven test) and personality traits (according to the Eysenck's theory) in twins. In total, 139 pairs of same-sex twins were investigated. The zygosity of the twin pairs was confirmed through genotyping with 15 molecular DNA markers. Constructive thinking was assessed using the Raven test. Personality assessment was conducted using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) in Lithuanian. The difference in the total number of incorrect solutions between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs younger than 15 years was not significant; however, in the group older than 15 years, this difference was found to be significant. B...
Twin Research and Human Genetics, 2012
From childhood into adolescence, the child's brain undergoes considerable changes in both structure and function. Twin studies are of great value to explore to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain individual differences in brain development and cognition. In The Netherlands, we initiated a longitudinal study in which twins, their siblings and their parents are assessed at three year intervals. The participants were recruited from The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) and at baseline consisted of 112 families, with 9-year-old twins and an older sibling. Three years later, 89 families returned for follow-up assessment. Data collection included psychometric IQ tests, a comprehensive neuropsychological testing protocol, and parental and self-ratings of behavioral and emotional problems. Physical maturation was measured through assessment of Tanner stages. Hormonal levels (cortisol, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and estrogens) were assessed in urine and saliva. Brain scans were acquired using 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which provided volumetric measures and measures of cortical thickness. Buccal swabs were collected for DNA isolation for future candidate gene and genomewide analysis studies. This article gives an overview of the study and the main findings. Participants will return for a third assessment when the twins are around 16 years old. Longitudinal twin-sibling studies that map brain development and cognitive function at well-defined ages aid in the understanding of genetic influences on normative brain development.
Child Development, 2003
The monozygotic (MZ) twin differences method was used to investigate nonshared environmental (NSE) influences independent of genetics. Four-year-old MZ twin pairs (N 5 2,353) were assessed by their parents on 2 parenting measures (harsh parental discipline and negative parental feelings) and 4 behavioral measures (anxiety, prosocial behavior, hyperactivity, and conduct problems). Within-pair differences in parenting correlated significantly with MZ differences in behavior, with an average effect size of 3%. For the extreme 10% of the parenting-discordant and behavior-discordant distributions, the average NSE effect size was substantially greater (11%), suggesting a stronger NSE relationship for more discordant twins. NSE relationships were also stronger in higher risk environments, that is, families with lower socioeconomic status, greater family chaos, or greater maternal depression.
Sources of human psychological differences: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart": Response
1991
Since 1979, a continuing study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, separated in infancy and reared apart, has subjected more than 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets to a week of intensive psychological and physiological assessment. Like the prior, smaller studies of monozygotic twins reared apart, about 70% of the variance in IQ was found to be associated with genetic variation. On multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests, and social attitudes, monozygotic twins reared apart are about as similar as are monozygotic twins reared together. These findings extend and support those from numerous other twin, family, and adoption studies. It is a plausible hypothesis that genetic differences affect psychological differences largely indirectly, by influencing the effective environment of the developing child. This evidence for the strong heritability of most psychological traits, sensibly construed, does not detract from the value or importance of parenting, education, and other propaedeutic interventions. M jr ONOZYGOTIC AND DIZYGOTIC TWINS WHO WERE SEPArated early in life and reared apart (MZA and DZA twin pairs) are a fascinating experiment of nature. They also provide the simplest and most powerful method for disentangling the influence of environmental and genetic factors on human characteristics. The rarity of twins reared apart explains why only three previous studies of modest scope are available in the literature (1-4). More than 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets from across the United States and the United Kingdom have participated in the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart since it began in 1979. Participants have also come from Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Sweden, and West Germany. The study of these rearedapart twins has led to two general and seemingly remarkable conclusions concerning the sources of the psychological differences-behavioral variation-between people: (i) genetic factors exert a pronounced and pervasive influence on behavioral variability,
Sources of Human Psychological Differences: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart
Science, 1990
Since 1979, a continuing study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, separated in infancy and reared apart, has subjected more than 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets to a week of intensive psychological and physiological assessment. Like the prior, smaller studies of monozygotic twins reared apart, about 70% of the variance in IQ was found to be associated with genetic variation. On multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests, and social attitudes, monozygotic twins reared apart are about as similar as are monozygotic twins reared together. These findings extend and support those from numerous other twin, family, and adoption studies. It is a plausible hypothesis that genetic differences affect psychological differences largely indirectly, by influencing the effective environment of the developing child. This evidence for the strong heritability of most psychological traits, sensibly construed, does not detract from the value or importance of parenting, education, and other propaedeutic interventions. M jr ONOZYGOTIC AND DIZYGOTIC TWINS WHO WERE SEPArated early in life and reared apart (MZA and DZA twin pairs) are a fascinating experiment of nature. They also provide the simplest and most powerful method for disentangling the influence of environmental and genetic factors on human characteristics. The rarity of twins reared apart explains why only three previous studies of modest scope are available in the literature (1-4). More than 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets from across the United States and the United Kingdom have participated in the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart since it began in 1979. Participants have also come from Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Sweden, and West Germany. The study of these rearedapart twins has led to two general and seemingly remarkable conclusions concerning the sources of the psychological differences-behavioral variation-between people: (i) genetic factors exert a pronounced and pervasive influence on behavioral variability,
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Twin Research and …, 2001
A multidisciplinary collaborative study examining cognition in a large sample of twins is outlined. A common experimental protocol and design is used in The Netherlands, Australia and Japan to measure cognitive ability using traditional IQ measures (ie, psychometric ...